Ghost Stories
Theatre Royal Brighton
8th – 12th July
Tickets
Now ‘Ghost Stories’ obviously has a cult following judging by the absolutely rammed to the hilt foyer of the iconic Theatre Royal in the centre of Brighton. It has toured the world with hugely successful sell-out productions, causing petrifying sensations at every turn. However, this was a new experience for me. And experience it very definitely was. Written by the amazingly talented Jeremy Dyson (co-writer of League of Gentlemen no less, alongside a multitude of others) and his equally talented partner Andy Nyman (multi award winning actor, director and writer and Derren Brown collaborator), this show is totally unique, both in its content but also in its fabulously original presentation.
Whilst waiting for curtain up, the excited anticipation in the auditorium was palpable. Suspense was building minute by minute, intensified by spooky noises emanating from the sound system and then …. a sudden ear splitting bang, and we were off. With narration from our intellectual sceptic Professor Gooodman – on opening night superbly played by Lucas Albion – we were well and truly set up for what was to follow. Three separate stories of hauntings recounted by a night watchman in a deserted part of an old building, a young driver stranded in the woods in the middle of the night, and a wealthy businessman awaiting the birth of his first child.
Tension was building as the stories unwound slowly, slowly. Each successive piece thrust us headlong into a theatrical world of sensory experience: seeing, hearing and actually feeling every thrilling twist and turn, each one stretching the imagination and ultimately our rationality.
The electrifying sound and lighting effects, exceptionally realistic sets and production techniques were in themselves outstanding. David Cardy, Andy Room and the universally recognisable Clive Mantle each in turn delivered utterly convincing performances. As an audience, we had no idea what was to come, only that we’d likely be scared witless, and the final 15 minutes of the show delivered the scariest, cleverest twist of all twists I’ve ever witnessed or read. Different writers, but if you’re a fan of TV’s dark and creepy ‘Inside Number 9’, this is your go-to live theatrical production.
We are naturally all sworn to secrecy at the end of the evening, so there is no more to be said except: ‘Do you believe in ghosts?’
Go see this phantasmic production. You just might.
Reviewer: Gill Ranson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️